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textiles
Designing
Career
Hotline
Cool
Counsel
How to succeed as a freelance web designer
smart
strategy: how to distribute work intelligently
guest
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Happiness
@ work
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roundup
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textiles
Designing A good sense of colour and style alongwith an interest in fabrics are the key ingredients for getting ahead in the field of textile designing Usha Albuquerque At the Wills lifestyle India Fashion Week this year, Indian textiles were on display as never before. Other than Ritu Kumar who has made India’s traditional textiles her liet motif, there were Manish Malhotra’s phulkari embroidered outfits, Abraham and Thakore’s woven weaves and several others that held their own on the ramp. Indian textiles have not only become the flavour of the year, but have been hitting the headlines for several decades. In fact, today at luxury stores one can find a Burberry trench coat in Maheshwari silk, a Gucci gown in Gujarati patola, Ferragamo shoes in Benarasi brocade, Hermes’ scarf in Kantha work and Roberto Cavalli’s traditional Rajasthani bandhini sari turned into an exquisite outfit. Textiles have always been India’s most popular product abroad, Kanjeevaram and Benarasi sarees, Rajasthani and Gujarati prints, Jamdanis, Balucharis, Venkatgiri, and Ikats, Kutchi mirror work have been exported for decades. Apart from these beautifully woven textiles India has a range of hand painted/printed hand embroidered and dyed textiles, as well as cottons, linens and a range of synthetic fabrics. They are made from the wide variety of yarns produced in the country ranging from the traditional khadi and simple cotton, to wool, jute, silk, linens and synthetic fibres, used for making all kinds of garments, furnishings etc. The work This is an enormous field with openings for people from varied disciplines ranging from technologist and stylists to sales and marketing. The work in textiles includes the processing and weaving of all fabrics — cotton, silk, wool or synthetics as well as machine embroidery, knitwear and lace making. So a textile designer needs to know about the processes of yarn making, weaving, knitting and dyeing as well as designing and printing methods, and information regarding quality and availability of yarns, the different types of looms and knitting machines, printing processes, product range and fashion trends, and how yarns of different types can be blended, in order to create designs using the appropriate dyes and printing methods. The designer takes into consideration the use of the fabric, its texture, durability, weight before creating a design. An understanding of the customer’s needs and fashion trends is also important and enables a designer to forecast patterns and colours that are likely to sell in the forthcoming seasons. Rough sketches are first made to outline basic ideas. With the help of design developers the sketches are transferred through detailed technical specifications onto machines, looms or printing tables. Colour and printing specialists add the colour details before samples of the cloth are produced. Textile and printing technologists work along with the designer to finalise the design. Select samples are put into the market by the sales and marketing team and feedback taken before the fabric is mass produced. Getting in Textile designing is a specialised field that requires training. One can enter the field after doing diploma or degree level programmes in the textile and apparel or related subjects like merchandising, fashion designing, textile retailing, product management and the like. A working knowledge of computers and design specific applications is also important for all areas of Design as today much of the designing is done through Computer Aided Design. Although the minimum eligibility is Plus II, a written-cum-drawing test and brief interview is normally carried out before selection to most programmes. In this creative field, intrinsic talent is a major pre-requisite. Diploma and degree courses for textile design are offered at graduate and post-graduate level. The National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, offers an intensive four-year diploma course in Textile Design. NID also offers a three-year advanced diploma in Textile and Apparel Design for graduates of Fine Arts, Humanities subjects, or Home Science (specialising in clothing & textiles), or diploma holders in related subjects with at least two years of professional experience in textiles. The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in New Delhi and its branches in Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Gandhinagar and Hyderabad also offers professional programmes at the graduate and under-graduate level in textile design and knitwear design. The Knitwear Fashion Institute in Tirupur, in collaboration with NIFT, offers three-year diploma course in knitwear manufacture and merchandising, and a one-and-a-half-year diploma in knit garment manufacturing technology. Textile design and management is also offered as a bachelor’s degree programme at the Pearl Academy of Fashion, New Delhi, and Jaipur, the Apeejay Institute of Design, New Delhi, SNDT University, Mumbai, and some universities and polytechnics in other cities. Job scape Design is definitely one of the most sought after professions today and one can’t go wrong in the textile industry with its rapid pace of expansion. Opportunities exist in design studios, textile mills, in textile dyeing and printing units, knitwear manufacturing units as well as in fashion houses. Export houses also employ a large number of textile designers. There are also growing opportunities with government sponsored and private silk, handloom, khadi, jute and craft development organisations, and with hundreds of hosiery and home furnishing export units largely centered around Panipat in the north and Tirupur and Coimbatore in the south. Trained graduates can work in production development and management, retail management, apparel designing, visual merchandising, technical designing. Other related fields could include fashion writing and editing, quality control, museum collection management, and theatrical costuming. With some experience textile designers can work as freelancers offering their designs to different organistions, or start their own design studio or production venture. However, to succeed in this field you need intrinsic artistic talent, creative ability and imagination coupled with a logical and analytical mind and an interest and understanding of the community’s tastes, needs and customs. A sound sense of colour and an eye for detail is important while an interest in computers and design-related computer applications can prove useful. India is the world’s second largest producer of textiles and garments after China. It is the world's third largest producer of cotton-after China and the USA - and the second largest cotton consumer after China. Abundant availability of raw materials such as cotton, wool, silk and jute and a skilled workforce have made India a sourcing hub. The size of Indian textile and apparel market stood at $89 billion in 2011 and is expected to touch $221 billion by 2020. The growth opportunities are enormous. So if you have a good sense of colour and style, enjoy working with fabrics and have an interest in clothing you can sew yourself a colourful career. — The writer is Director Careers Smart Pvt Ltd., New Delhi
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Career
Hotline Pervin Malhotra email your queries to careers@tribunemail.com
Q. I’m a student of Class XII (science stream). I’m interested in doing BSc Nursing and MSc after that. I want know if there are any prospects of doing PhD after MSc Nursing and in which topic.
And as medical science evolves, so do the areas of research in nursing. Just to give you a few examples, your topics could be Cardiovascular Risk Reduction, Biological Basis of Nursing Therapeutics, Health Promotion, Chronic Disease Management, Symptom Management, Behavioural Aspects of Pain and Stress, Substance Abuse, Lactation and Breastfeeding, Health Disparities, Family Caregiver Stress, Forensic Nursing, Patient Health Care Decision Making, End of Life Care. Nurses who hold a PhD are in great demand and a world of opportunity awaits them. While preparing you to assume a leadership role in nursing and in the broader arena of healthcare, a PhD will also equip you to serve as a professor in a nursing college.
Choosing between MBA and MS
Q. I have completed my BBA from Symbiosis and worked for three years in sales. I now wish to do go to the US for higher studies. Should I opt for MS or MBA? What is the difference between the two? A. When considering a business education option, particularly in the US, one often confronts the dilemma of choosing between an MBA and MS. If you are planning to go for higher studies, i.e. a Ph.D. or teaching or consulting or research (for a large business lobby, think tank or quasi-governmental outfit) then an MS programme will give you more depth and a wider range of options within your chosen domain. For example, if you want to research “how accounting practices differ between the US GAAP and Indian GAAP”, then the MS programme may be more appropriate. A general MBA programme on the other hand, will give you a more rounded education in the total business scenario. It will include components of Marketing, Finance, HR, Business Accounting and Business Maths, Organisational Behaviour, Systems, IT etc. Starting out as a management trainee you will be assigned a specific assignment after an orientation round of the various departments. In short, an MBA trains you to assume the role of a functional business head. I have also come across several MBAs from Indian B-Schools with three to five years of industry exposure, taking off for a year or so on unpaid leave to pursue an MS abroad in a specific area (e.g. banking software management) which gives them a definite edge upon return. Similarly, a BTech working on business development in an IT firm could target the VP slot with a good international MBA under his belt. Whichever option you choose, do a cost-benefit analysis before you proceed. Foreign MBAs come at a very hefty price (ranging from anywhere from ~ 50 – 125 lakh). So often in a tight employment market you may not even be able to offset the expense incurred. To that add the loss of income during the period of 1-2 years. Can you afford it? Is it really worth the effort? There are no easy answers.
Scope of foreign languages?
Q. I will be completing my Plus II this year. I find that I have a flair for and interest in foreign languages, and would like to pursue my further studies in this area. Could you give me some guidance on good language schools in the country and the career prospects. I am also interested in working for the government. Will I be able to combine both these interests? A. Liberalisation, globalisation and high-speed communication have made the world a truly smaller and more accessible place. While this has spurred global transactions both at the government, industry and corporate level, like never before, language barriers, at times, do pose problems in transactions and the smooth running of business. Which is why both the private sector as well as the government hire qualified language specialists for practical work like translation and interpretation as well as for more specialised work like researching specific topics. Moreover, several other avenues have opened up — in industry, trade, BPO, information and media, travel and teaching, to name but a few. Of late, voice-based call centres have begun to recruit people with 1-2 years of multi-lingual capabilities as customer care executives. The wider BPO sector also recruits people for translation and documentation, and transaction processing operations. European and South-East Asian languages are particularly highlighted in view of the number of foreign collaborations and investments from these countries. In addition to languages like French and German, there’s a premium on specialists in Chinese, Japanese, Korean and even Russian. There’s also a premium on tourist guides who are fluent in these languages. As for work in the government, the Cabinet Secretariat recruits language specialists in Chinese, Pushtu, Burmese, Nepali, Tibetan and Sinhala — an indication of the importance attached to following the developments in our neighbouring countries. A government job would require a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in the language concerned in addition to a high degree of proficiency in English and the ability to translate documents into English. Many universities offer courses in foreign languages awarding not only certificates and diplomas, but also bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Among these, JNU’s School of Languages is considered a premium centre. In addition, there are a large number of foreign cultural centres in the country like Alliance Francaise, Max Mueller Bhavan, Japanese Cultural Centre that conduct graded language courses.
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Cool
Counsel D. C. Sharma 
Effective learning is a must for success and achievement. Some learners learn a little even though they work very hard. Often employees fail to grasp the job skills which they urgently require. Their own outdated faulty methods of learning block their way.
A proven method of learning called mind mapping is becoming popular now. Discovered in early ‘70’s by Tony Buzon this is a whole new brain approach. It is relaxing, creative and fun. As it uses both sides of your brain, it effectively boosts your brain power. Here is how it begins! Just take a white sheet. Turn it sideways. In the exact centre of the page, draw an image of the topic you are going to deal with. It can even be a skill that you intend to develop. Simply draw a picture of the topic that you want to explore. It can be an idea in mind. Make use of coloured pens or pencils. Simply concentrate on the topic or the idea that you are going to deal with. After drawing the picture, branch off from this central image. And draw lines sideways as branches of your topic. In case you are making some work plan, or are creating a book, let these be the branches or the chapters. Remember, each branch carries a separate picture, dealing with a separate idea. From these branches, you can draw even more branches as required for the topic under consideration. These branches actually create associations between the ideas your topic has to deal with. Now these branches too have separate pictures of their own. As you picture all of them as absurd, funny, even exaggerated, all these pictures become simply memorable, vivid, and crystal clear in your mind. When the topic has more details like the parts of a book, draw another main branch. But this time use a different colour. Different colour means it would deal with different ideas. The more different and separate the ideas these branches carry, the more stimulated your brain gets. Such a mind mapping exercise would make boredom run away from you forever. And your brain power would get an enormous boost. When you keep repeating the above mind mapping exercises, each one in a different colour, and even make each fresh branch not straight but curved, your brain would become all the more stimulated. You would simply find enormous energy flowing into your brain cells, activating each one of these. This exercises would enable you learn the ideas and skills much better. You can knowingly allow the lines and branches that you make become as messy as possible. Remember, it is not a work of art. It is just a way to learn things and skills better. It is just a creative mess. Others may or may not understand it, but you know the depth of it. This again enables you to keep your notes and chapters a secret thing, lest your competitors copy it. A doubt often enters the mind of some senior employees that their brain power has been decreasing. And that mind mapping has no use for them. But mind mapping is a brain exercise. The more you use it the more your brain will get activated. Neuropsychologists have discovered that getting both sides of our brain to collaborate in the most effective ways is possible. Applying logic, order and thought is the left brain tendency. Applying imaginative, colourful and humorous images is the right brain tendency. With mind mapping, the act of harmonising the two sides of the brain starts naturally. If practised on regular basis, even the elderly employees would start feeling that they could learn things better than they could do even when they were younger. Indian Sidhas had known these things much earlier. They would stimulate their brain, and would improve their concentration by making use of the Sri Yantra. Sitting at ease, they would deep breathe, and would start looking at the central white dot of the Sri Yantra, without blinking their eyes. As they would breathe in and breathe out, their attention would go to different geometric figures surrounding the central white dot. This way an effective communication between their left and right brain hemispheres would start, instantly improving their brain power and concentration. — The writer is a Kangra- based psychologist & career expert
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field
in focus: gemology Gaurav S Issar With increase in the demand for designing and manufacturing ornaments and jewelry, opportunities in gemology in India have grown substantially over the past few years. Gemology is the study of gemstones. Anybody who is fascinated by gemstones and their magnificent crystal healing properties can benefit from the study of gemology. The role A gemologist plays an important role at each step of the journey of a precious gem from a mine to a brightly lit jewelry store in your town. Gemologists not only identify the flaws and quality of precious stones, but also buy and sell these for jewelry stores and help customers pick up the stones according to their budget and prefernce. Because of this a gemologist should have not only a technical mind but also be skilled in customer service. Getting in As a gemologist you will need keen observation and high concentration levels. With the advancement of science, these days modern scientific gemology provides an insight into the behavioural patterns of the gemstones along with their characteristic properties. If you are interested in gemology, then a diploma from a recognised institute is a good option. Students usually learn their skills in technical or vocational schools. To get ahead in this field students should also learn the use and maintenance of machines and tools used; they should be able to identify a variety of gemstones, besides learning designing, casting, polishing, and setting of stones. Some gemologists obtain a bachelor’s degree in fine arts or jewelry design. The students are given the latest knowledge related to the scientific developments to make them skilled artisans. One can enrol for a diploma course after Plus II. Most employers provide up to a year of supervised on-job training or apprenticeship programmes to freshers. Career advancement in gemology is also dependant on an individual’s skills, work exposure and initiative. The Instutute of Diamond Trade offers Graduate Gemologist and Diamond Grading courses. To be eligible for admission into a Gemology course, you must have completed Plus II (any stream) or graduation. The duration of the courses vary but they are generally short term. A good command over English is a must if you want to progress in this field because it not only gives an edge while communicating with customers, but is also essential as the best of books on the subject are in English. A course in gemology mainly consists of gem identification and colouring, metal concepts drawing techniques, metallurgical processes, elements of fashion, design methodology, computer-aided designing, ornament designing, ornament making and traditional and modern processes with specialisation in jewellery designing. Where can one work Gem cutters and artisans are being given much importance in the current scenario. These days the demand of western designs in jewelry is much more, and this is opening up vast opportunities for gemologists. Other than jewelry designers, they can also work as hand engravers, gem repairers, gem cutters and the like. One could become an appraiser, or work in a lab that grades gemstones. Wholesale and retail job opportunities are also available. Work profile With the entry of branded gems and jewellery as well as the increased interest in newer designs and westernised styles, job opportunities have increased manifold. If you can satisfy market needs and continue ~15,000 per month and will increase as per the skills of the person. Where can one study There are a number of institutes all over the world that offer courses in gemology. The International Gemological Institute (IGI), is the largest independent gem certification and appraisal institute with gemological laboratories in Antwerp (Belgium), New York (US) and Bangkok (Thailand). It has set up shop in Mumbai also. Institute of Diamond Trade also runs courses in this field. Skill set
An entry-level gemologist generally begins his career working as a salesperson for a jewelry store. To be successful in this position, you must be a persuasive communicator who can help customers understand the difference in gem quality. But just communicating well isn’t enough. You need to know what types of things to say to help customers decide on their purchases. You must have the knowledge to answer the customer’s questions and the sales skills to know when to not go into so much technical detail that you lose the customer’s interest. — The writer is MD and Founder, Institute of Diamond Trade
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How to succeed as a freelance web designer
Self employment is a great thing, but many don’t choose it because of the financial and career-related risks involved. Freelance web designing could be a miserable existence if you don’t play your card correctly — and the fact is that many web designers are already doing it the wrong way. The most important aspect in successful freelancing as a web designer is getting the right clients, both in terms of consistency and quality. Generally, freelancing should be treated as another facet of consulting, which needs to be done right if it is to evolve into a satisfying career. A successful freelancer is someone who has developed an extensive professional network, possesses a healthy dose of entrepreneurial spirit and stays updated on the latest development in his or her chosen industry. A premature decision to freelance rather than engage in a full-time job could severely damage your financial and emotional health, apart from costing you the most productive years of what could have been a successful career. It certainly is a gradual process and involves several steps. Begin with a full-time position The best way of understanding the intricacies of the web design industry is by actually working with a company where you can gain experience in what clients really need and what it takes to fulfill their requirements. Simultaneously, it is advisable to build an appreciable technical portfolio. This will give you confidence about your raw skills, and also an understanding of what kind of work meets industry standards. If you cannot find such a position (almost every company is looking for experienced candidates), it would help if you enroll in a professional course from a reputed institute that provides the right coaching as well as support in finding a job. Start building your network and portfolio When you have a salary to look forward to, you can spend the rest of your time working on your own projects. Offers of freelancing projects will come your way if you open the right channels and broadcast your availability. Social platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook are great resources to help you build your network and showcase the work you have been involved in. Join groups on LinkedIn where other web designers congregate. This is one place where people looking for designers post job and project listings frequently. Networking is about laying the groundwork to self-employment. When you are confident that you can get enough quality work throughout the month, you can consider leaving your full time position. Once you are self-employed, get listed on freelance sites like elance.com and freelancer.com where you can showcase your
portfolio and bid for advertised projects. Keep upgrading your skills Technology is changing continuously, and new tools and ways of doing things are being introduced for web designers all the time. You need to stay current on the latest developments in your field because this allows you to get the best projects. Once you are getting booked consistently, you can start raising your rates, begin taking up high-paying jobs and pass on the less lucrative ones to friends and acquaintances who are just starting out. Specialise Specialisation is the key to becoming known and being in constant demand. Graphics designing involves several ingredients — try to specialise in one and become a master of it. Gradually, you will witness your demand growing and your bank balance showing satisfying figures. Start early and be patient. Freelancing is a lot like interviewing for a job. But, as a freelancer, interviews are held practically every single day, and your progress depends on your dedication to the job and to growing your business. — The writer is a Human Resources and business strategy professional
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smart
strategy: how to distribute work intelligently How well and how efficiently you do your work determines your worth as an employee. How well and efficiently you make others do the work determines your worth as a manager. Not all excellent and efficient workers can graduate to become good managers. At the same time some employees with average working ability can turn out to be good management prospects. It is something that is half engrained in a personality and half cultivated. Delegating work to others is the most important part of a manager’s job. Delegating work does not just imply assigning; rather it also entails ensuring that each and every pointsperson delivers her assigned task successfully and on time. This will automatically involve a lot of overseeing, guidance and assertion as a superior. Delegation is not only a strategy to manage time and resources well, it is also an art that empowers. When you delegate work, you transfix greater responsibility to your juniors. In doing so, you also give them greater authority and control over their job. With a task at hand, they are to figure out ways to do it in the best possible manner. This also gives employees a lot of space to learn about the industry and discover their strengths. The more an employee is responsible for, the more exposure she will get and the more chances of growth and development. Delegation is not just empowering for the employees, but it is also a strategy towards better time management and implementation. It makes sure work is not concentrated at one centre or in the hands of one person. Do what is necessary In their obsession for perfection, some managers take too much on their platter. It results in chaos. If the same person is preparing the monthly plans, dictating strategy, communicating with clients and taking feedbacks, chances are that some of these tasks may be delayed, forgotten, kept on the backburner and piled up for the month end. It is important to understand that you do not need to do everything yourself. Start delegating responsibility from easier jobs. Just keep the most critical tasks to yourself apart from overseeing the team effort. When the employees will be entrusted with finishing a task, they will consider themselves responsible for it as well as accountable. They will learn, as did you. Nurture new talent A start up is not just about starting an enterprise from an idea; it is also about building a team from scratch. Initially, just the founding members of the company will be its whole and soul but as the enterprise starts growing and getting business, a team will build up. It is absolutely necessary that in a small start up the new members that are added know the company and its tasks inside out. This will happen only when you hire the right people and nurture their talent. In some time as the employee grows, she will eventually become a pillar of the company. Right matching Different people are tailor made for different jobs. Some, of course, are jacks of all trades. But it is absolutely essential to fit in the right person in the right place. Even well meaning, hard working employees may derail a project if they are not working according to their strengths. Identifying strengths and weaknesses of a person is up to the employer. If a person is a sound communicator, make sure she focuses more on communication. The one with good managing skills must be put into management mode. This will increase productivity, save time and ensure maximum return on investment. Lead but don’t dictate Leading from the front is very essential, especially in a start up. But leading doesn't mean that you sit and dictate each and every effort required in a job. Give them the task, explain the broad requirements, set the deadline and let the employees figure out which way they want to achieve it. This prevents frustration in the employees. Keep reviewing before deadlines so as to lend any help required to the team. Guide but also help Entrusting tasks does not mean that you lay down the job in front of the workers and make a retreat to your den. Since the employees are young and new, they will need the guidance of an experienced hand every now and then. Make sure they do not feel rudderless and lost. Don’t be insecure If an employee working under you is sparkling and showing promise beyond her experience and years, make sure you amply recognise her. You should make all efforts to retain this person in the fold of your company. Make this person feel rewarded for the effort she is putting in. There is no reason to be insecure. Tomorrow, she can grow up to become a major pillar and source of strength for the new company. Recognise and reward As you are delegating work, you shall also be on the lookout for people who are taking and performing the responsibility well. After all, the employees who are functioning well are taking off burden from your shoulders. It makes an employee happy if her loyalty and dedication is recognised. It makes her happier if it is rewarded occasionally. Today companies are moving beyond age-old HR practices and entering into the new domain of organised Rewards & Recognition culture. The new-age creative solutions have made R & R policies more organised and institutionalised. If you are recognising your employee's contribution, offer them rewards that would thrill them. A creative, well planned sophisticated R & R programme can ensure that the employees are offered a choice from a menu of rewards to attract and sustain interest. — The writer is Founding Director of annectos
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guest
column Prithvi Shergill Chief Human Resources Officer, HCL Technologies  The growing presence of the millennial generation and the contingent workforce at the workplace; along with the need of businesses for a collaborative and specialised workforce, are some of the factors that have contributed significantly to the change in the role of HR practitioners over the past few years. There is a much greater need today for alignment of belief, intent, behaviours and actions between the HR professional and business leader. HR practitioners who recognise their role as being catalysts for innovation, given the impact this has on business growth, are the professionals who strive to evolve people practices. Some of the early trends will be inclined towards: Building a multidisciplinary workforce In order to succeed in rapidly changing business scenarios, there is a need to rethink the nature of capabilities — both in terms of capacity and abilities, required in the workforce. To be future ready, organisations will need people with the ability to collaborate, co-create and facilitate connections as well as specialise in multiple disciplines that can be applied to add value to the growing complexity of work being done in organisations. To build mastery, individuals will grow their expertise looking for diversity in exposure and experiences. To do so progressive organizations will need to invest in significant redesign of performance, career, talent and learning management practices. Creating a synthesis between professional and technical skill development Understanding the right role for the right person, at the right time, at the right place, with the right skill, at the right cost is an expectation of Human Resources practitioners of the future. Organisations will build a role-based curriculum that will facilitate people learning new skills in new ways to increase workforce productivity and competitiveness. Just in time learning of specific skills needed to perform the current role and the next role across technical and professional competencies is the learning agenda for tomorrow. For an organisation, this is far more effective from a time and cost perspective. Progressive companies recognise that employees need to possess a multi-specialty skill set especially up to the mid-level of the pyramid to enhance their productivity. Line managers and employees have a key role to play in building this in partnership with the Human Resources practitioner of the future. Innovative reward and recognition practices Introduction of tailored programmes that enable peer recognition in a more immediate, on the spot at time of the action and contribution by individuals will also be essential to create a culture where performance is celebrated, and is an area where HR practitioners need to apply their expertise in its design in the coming years. Integrating social collaboration & media into people practices Though most HR teams have already got on the 'social media bandwagon' we will see the most impact in organisations that use this as the 'platform of choice' to communicate with employees. Where we earlier saw organisations and/or independent professionals turn to social media to brand and market their services and/or themselves, functions inside organisations such as HR & Marketing are collaborating to raise the value emerging from social technology platforms for organisations by making them a key part of how people work, how workers engage with each other and how distributed workplaces can be made to come together. The days of distributing information, communicating policies or sharing programme updates via email will soon disappear. Membership on virtual social networking platforms allows communication to be receiver centric and personalised. Hard data, numbers, facts and analytics to lead Given the repository of valuable employee data within an organisation held by HR, organisations have the opportunity to mine this to understand and define and profile specific talent segments. The analysis of this data and its application will ensure we shape our people practices that deliver the promised value proposition to the targeted talent segments that the organisations wish to attract, retain and grow in the current context and for the foreseeable future. Reinvention and re-skilling ourselves towards putting information and insight on the centre stage to inspire us will define the advice we provide and agenda we set for 2014. Individuals and organisations who take a leadership role in addressing these trends will change the language for HR practitioners by not asking when they will be treated as ‘business partners’ but by asking line leaders when they will perform as ‘people partners’
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Happiness
@
work Even while it is said make hay while the sun shines, it is not possible to concentrate all the time. Don’t fret as taking a well-deserved break is not a crime. Hanuman was flying full steam to Lanka on the mission to search for Sita when a huge mountain rose and blocked his way. The mountain said, “Son, I am Mainak, the brother of Ganga and Parvati. Rest on me and gather your breath. “Your father Vayu helped me escape when Indra was on a mission to cut the wings of all hills,” said the mountain. Hanuman replied, “Thanks, but I can’t as I am on an important mission.” Hanuman then negotiated hurdles posed by Surasa, the mother of serpents, demoness Simhika and Lankini. He searched for Sita, met Vibhishan, gathered military information, set fire to Lanka and returned. Finally, the Vaanara team reached Kishkinda and had a party at the Madhuvana garden. After having played excellent hockey for six years for Army and provincial teams, Dhyan Chand finally was snoring soundly on February 19, 1928 — the day the national Olympic team was to be announced. He was selected and India won the Amsterdam hockey gold without conceding even a single goal. In 1948, the Atomic Energy Commission was set up and Homi Jehangir Bhabha was made its Chairman. On May 18, 1974, India became the sixth country to join the nuclear club by exploding a nuclear device at Pokhran. But despite the busy schedule, Bhabha was a first-class painter. His pencil sketches are well-known. In the 50 years that JRD Tata was at the helm, the House of Tata grew into a mammoth industrial empire. JRD used to spend long hours in office. To take a break, he played golf and repaired mini-planes in the workshop at his home. After his wife Thelly suffered a stroke, he replaced golf with storytelling sessions at Thelly’s bedside. In 1923, Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das’ Swarajya Party won a landslide victory in the Bengal Legislative Council poll. In the Calcutta Corporation elections, Das and his men were easy victors. He was elected Mayor and Subhas Chandra Bose became the Chief Executive Officer. But Subhas was arrested for “masterminding the murder of a European”. So Das organised many meetings in protest. The ceaseless work began to take a toll on his health. So Das — for his final days — went to Darjeeling. Sometimes, you too, like your mobile phone, need switching off. — Sai R. Vaidyanathan
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scholarship
roundup The IIA Group of Institutions —comprising JRN Institute of Aviation Technology, Delhi, and Bharat Institute of Aeronautics, Patna — is offering scholarships for Aircraft Maintenance Engineering courses. AME courses are duly approved by Directorate General Civil Aviation, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India. Details: (A) Captain Ram Niwas Memorial Scholarships — Gold, Silver & Bronze Category, and (B) Prabha Niwas Memorial Scholarships — Gold & Silver Category scholarships are to be awarded to 27 deserving students, and vary in the range of 10 to 100 per cent of first year tuition fee. The group has also announced some more scholarships for meritorious students in the subsequent years of the course and assist in getting government grants to SC/ST and minority students. Eligibility: Intermediate/Plus II students with at least 50 per cent aggregate in physics, chemistry and mathematics are eligible to take the tests to be held across various centres in the country. The candidates scoring 70 per cent or above would qualify for further progress. Deadline: March 31, 2014 How to apply: Forms are available on the website and at the college office. Address: JRN Institute of Aviation Technology 414/2, Rani Khera More, Mundka, Delhi- 110041, Phone: 91-11-32315460 Mob: 09971569455 Check out: http://www.iiagroup.co.in Adelaide scholarships
Adelaide Scholarships International (ASI) is available in the four scholarship rounds to outstanding international applicants from any country. Scholarships are available for pursuing two years for a master’s degree by research and three years for a Doctoral research degree at the University of Adelaide. Eligibility: Applicants should have successfully completed at least the equivalent of an Australian First Class Honours degree (this is a four-year degree with a major research project in the final year). All qualifying programmes of study must be successfully completed. Details: THe scholarship covers course tuition fees for two years for a master’s degree by research and three years for a doctoral research degree How to apply: Online. Deadline: The application deadlines for Round 3 is February 28, 2014 and Round 4 is
May 31, 2014. Check out: http://www.adelaide.edu.au
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Fortnightly quiz 458
1. Name the recently created 29th state of the Indian union.
2. Who was recently elected Prime Minister of Nepal? 3. Who recently became the youngest Prime Minister
of Italy? 4. What is the capital of Ukraine? 5. For what amount did the world’s biggest online social networking service Facebook recently acquire popular mobile messaging service WhatsApp? 6. Name the world’s largest oyster (14-inch long), found off the coast of Denmark, which was recently acknowledged by the Guinness Book of World Records. 7. Name the French Olympian who recently broke legendary pole vaulter Sergei Bubka’s indoor world record by clearing 6.16 m. 8. Who has been appointed the coach of the Pakistan cricket team? 9. Name the players who were recently involved in the highest sixth wicket stand in Test cricket. 10. Who recently became the first New Zealand player to score a triple century in Test cricket? —Tarun Sharma Winners of quiz 457: The first prize by draw of lots goes to Tina Joshi; Class VIII; The British Co-ed High School, Devigarh Road; Patiala, Punjab, Pin Code — 147001 Second: Ananya Angra; class IX-B; St Mary’s School, Sundernagar; Pin Code — 175018 Third: Gaurav Sohal; Class XII; Swami Sant Dass Public School, JP Nagar Jalandhar.; Pin Code — 144008 Answers to quiz 457: Satya Nadella; Mumbai; Maruti 800; 100; Jammu; February 28; North Sumatra; Tiger Woods; Sochi; Graham Gooch and Kumara Sangakkara Cash awards of Rs 400, 300 and 200 are given to the first, second and third prize winners, respectively. These are sent at the school address. Note: Kindly mention the pincode of your place on the letter/postcard to facilitate the delivery of the prize money. Answers can also be sent at quiz@tribunemail.com Name……………….………….............................................
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course
chat Ashok Sethi
The Department of Food Technology and Processing at the Guru Nank Dev University is offering BTech. and MTech courses with latest syllabus and curriculum to suit the requirement of agro industry. At present the university has 60 seats in graduation and 30 in PG courses and there are 300 students studying the university. The GNDU offers these specialised courses in fully equipped department. The entry to these courses is through AIEEE and candidates can also be sponspored by the Industry. The former Head Dr. Narpinder Singh said that the enactment of Food Security Act by Union Government to monitor the sale and processing of food items will lead to more jobs in this field for those with B.Tech and M.Tech. degrees in the next four to five years. At present salary package offered is about ~4 lakh plus for freshers.
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campus
notes Varsity to have own DTH channel The university’s Media Centre, constituted by the Centre for Advanced Media Studies (CAMS) and the Educational Multimedia Research Centre (EMRC), will very soon have its own independent DTH channel. Giving this information, the Director of the Media Centre, Prof Gurmeet Singh Maan, said a decision to this effect was given a final shape at a Coordination Committee of the Media Centres, held at Calicut recently under the aegis of Consortium for Educational Communication (CEC), an Inter University Centre of the UGC-MHRD, engaged in spreading higher education through various organs of electronic media. Seminar
A seminar on “Nuclear Radiation and Applications” was organised by the Physics Department. It was presided over by Dr. Jaswinder Singh, Dean Academic Affairs, Punjabi University. In his presidential address, Dr. Jaswinder Singh expressed the need for involvement of scientists and students for the welfare of the society and for common man. He also discussed about the contribution of Nuclear Radiation and Applications in industry, agriculture and medical sciences. While presenting his keynote address Dr. P.S.Soni, Professor and Head, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Baba Farid University, Faridkot, explained the use of nuclear radiation in the field of medical sciences. He elaborated various kinds of radiation dignostic techniques like CT, SPECT, PET and MRI.
Rababi music festival
Gurmat Sangeet Chair and Department of Gurmat Sangeet organised the sixth Rababi Bhai Mardana Classical Music Festival at Kala Bhawan recently. On the opening ceremony, Vice-Chancellor announced that the university will be bestowing one renowned scholar with Punjab Sangeet Ratan Award and Padam Sri Ustad Sohan Singh Simrati Award. The award for 2014 was given to sitar maestro Principal Narinder Narula. Along with this award, citation and ~31,000 in cash were also presented.
Prof I.J.S Bansal, Former Dean, Academics Affairs of Punjabi University, Patiala, was honoured by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in recognition of his contribution in the field of science and technology, at the 101st session of the Indian Science Congress held at Jammu University recently. Prof Bansal is the first scientist from Punjab to have received this honour.
— Contributed by Gagan K Teja
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course
cruising Raffles Millenium International is inviting applications for admission for Advanced Diploma in Fashion Marketing from RCHE (Raffles College of Higher Education, Singapore) & bachelor’s degree programme from RCDC (Raffles College of Design & Commerce, Australia). Eligibility: The applicants should have cleared Plus II from any recognised board with 70 per cent in English and 65 per cent in aggregate. Students appearing for Class XII exams in 2014 can also apply for provisional admission. For IGCSE, A level within minimum 3 subjects, English compulsory as one. The RMI Entrance Exam will take place before each intake, followed by a personal interview. How to apply: The application form is available at an RMI institute. Students can send their request at rmidelhi@educompraffles.com mentioning subject as “Application Form” and their details with contact number. Once completed, it should be submitted along with required documents mentioned in the application form and cheque/ demand draft of ~2,500 in favour of “Educomp Raffles Higher Education Ltd”, or by cash. Deadline: March 15, 2014. Check out: www.raffles-millennium-delhi.com PG diploma in sanitation and hygiene
Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, has invited applications for Post-Graduate Diploma in Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) for 2014 session. Eligibility: a) A Bachelor’s degree from a recognised university, with minimum aggregate pass class. How to apply: Candidates can download application from link: http://download.tiss.edu/admissions2014/Short_Term_Programmes_2014-2015/
Application_Form_PGDWASH_2014-15.pdf Deadline: March 20, 2014 Check out: http://www.tiss.edu/
Summer research programme
Applications are invited for summer research programme 2014 at IISER Mohali. Students completing first year of their MSc/MA or those completing second year/third year of BSc/BA, will be able to spend two months at IISER, Mohali, during the summer, in order to work on specific research projects with IISER faculty. The principle objective of the programme is to provide exposure to research methodology and a research environment to bright students. This exposure to excitement in different scientific fields is expected to motivate them to take up careers in science. Summer students will be paid a stipend of ~5000 per month and hostel accommodation (if required) will be provided on payment basis. Each summer student is required to submit a formal written report upon completion of the project. How to apply: Online. Deadline: Feburary 28, 2014 till 12 noon . Check out: www.iisermohali.ac.in/summerProgram
MBA courses
WLC College India (WLCI), New Delhi, invites applications for profesional programmes in business management with specialisation in Marketing, Human Resource and Finance. Eligibility: Graduation. Students appearing in the final year graduation exams in 2014 can also apply. How To apply: Candidates can obtain an application form from any of the campuses of the institute. The application form can also be downloaded from http://www.wlcibusiness.in. The completed application form is to be deposited in person or sent by post/courier to your preferred campus. Deadline: March 20, 2014. Check Out: www.wlcibusiness.in
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field
in focus: gemology
How well and how efficiently you do your work determines your worth as an employee. How well and efficiently you make others do the work determines your worth as a manager. Not all excellent and efficient workers can graduate to become good managers. At the same time some employees with average working ability can turn out to be good management prospects. It is something that is half engrained in a personality and half cultivated.
A. So you want to be a Doctor of Nursing…! It’s great to be thinking so far ahead at Class XII level. Besides, scientists and researchers are urgently needed to inform best practices in nursing, explore perplexing patient problems, test strategies to increase patient safety and care quality, lead interdisciplinary teams to improve the health care system, and to, overall, add to the nursing profession’s valuable body of knowledge.
But you can learn the same skills, things, and behaviours so easily. Our brain recalls information better in the form of pictures, symbols, sounds, shapes and feelings. So if you start making use of visual and sensory reminders then you will fare very well.
Having good sales skills is essential for a gemologist because as most of them start their careers in sales. 
Freelancing in web designing is a dream for many professionals with an artistic bent of mind, but this field isn’t just about the talent you have. Successful freelancing depends on your business savvy and ability to commit and deliver on time.
Scholarships will be awarded on academic merit and research potential. Extra-curricular achievements are not considered.
Agro and Food processing Industry is expected to bail out the beleagured agricultural sector that is facing low returns due to two-crop pattern being followed in a large part of the country. The state as well as Centre government have taken steps to motivate farmers to diversify their farm practices. This has opened new job avenues in the food processing industry. Students interested to enter this field can opt for relevant courses being offered by different universities in the region.
PM honours Prof I.J.S Bansal
